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The 4th graders decided to reach out to help the women and children at the Welcome House, a woman’s shelter, by making fleece blankets. The cold months are ahead and the shelter is located in an old building in Covington which is cold and drafty. The blankets will offer warmth and comfort during this season of their life. Jennifer Amos, Development Coordinator at the Welcome House of Northern Kentucky visited Florence Elementary 4th grade students. She informed them of the daily tasks and services offered to help the homeless. The students imagined that a homeless person typically was between the ages of 30 and 50 years old, sad, dirty clothes, maybe no shoes, hungry and lonely. The students were amazed to hear the average age of a homeless person in America was the age of nine. The service learning project applied many practical living skills. Several students met at Wal-Mart to help select fabrics. They calculated the yardage needed per blanket and compared prices in order to stay within their budget. The students wrote letters to local companies requesting donations to help in this endeavor.Parents and staff members volunteered to measure and cut the fabric to prepare the fabric for tying off knots. Each student participated in this labor of love and they completed 41 blankets. The hands on experience helped to instill good values for future community service involvement. The blankets were picked up in December and were distributed to the children at the home and they were thrilled to know other children made these blankets for them. This provided them with a ray of HOPE during this holiday season.